


Little Revolutionaries

by Aondeug



Category: Homestuck
Genre: Bigotry & Prejudice, F/F, Propaganda
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2013-07-18
Updated: 2013-07-18
Packaged: 2017-12-20 14:13:41
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,010
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/888197
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Aondeug/pseuds/Aondeug
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Team Aranea<3Porrim's piece for HSWC 2013's  first main round. Barely into their matespritship a seemingly insurmountable obstacle has appeared: ideological differences. Still they are intent to work through things, both in their own ways.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Little Revolutionaries

**Author's Note:**

> This piece was edited by Supermunchor and much thanks is extended to him for helping clean it up. Why it looks presentable now!

Almost an hour had passed since Aranea had grown flustered and stated that she really had a book to go find. It was for their continued search for a way to fix things, she had said. Two months into their matespritship and the girl was still as skittish as she had been during Porrim's first advances. Sighing at that thought once more, Porrim waited in the library still. It certainly wasn't something she preferred, but Aranea probably could do with some privacy. That in mind, Porrim looked again at the same poster she had glanced at every so often through her waiting.  
  
Happily smiling, a troll with cerulean tinted skin looked down on an olive blood. A hand was outstretched to the lowblood, holding out a book to the rather perplexed and awestruck troll. “We can do it together!” it proclaimed proudly. “Hold up your lowbloods!” Not “the,” or even “our”, but “your lowbloods.” “Your lowbloods.” She had not yet gotten used to the thing, and found herself turning to it periodically. Porrim frowned at it again before turning back around to stare up at the wall of books in front of the desk she sat at. It was an absolutely absurd amount of books, but at least it wasn't that poster. No, it was just a show of the level of privilege Aranea had been granted on Beforus for simply being born. She was given an education and materials for private studies, so she could “hold up her lowbloods,” Porrim guessed. Really, she adored Aranea, funny and passionate girl she was, but this visit to her hive for a week was uncomfortable at times. She was a sweetheart, kind and caring, but that poster was really driving home just how much it was her “right” to help, no matter what people thought.  
  
So much so that she had tried to talk Porrim into accepting that perhaps her complaints about what amounted to the slavery of her entire caste was just fine. A frown came to Porrim as she thought on that day again. It had been early into their affair, a week after she had first managed to gently nudge Aranea to chase what she wanted. She had been smiling so earnestly as she flaunted her caste and lamented the difficulty of “her task”. Really, though! She knew things! At least, that's what she had tried to assure Porrim before an argument broke out. The poster gave a reason to this, and a disturbing edge as well. Was that honestly what Porrim was to the silly girl who adored pirates? It was a hard thought to shake, and she was probably being unfair to Aranea. No, she definitely was, because that poster was all she had known and been taught.  
  
Feeling ever the more terrible for her nervous upset, Porrim muttered to herself and tapped her nails against the desk. She needed something to occupy herself with to cut off this train of thought. It really wasn't right of her, especially when she had scared Aranea by moving too quickly. She turned to the book on the desk that had been ignored till now. It was bookmarked and recently read from the looks of it. Running a finger along the embossed title, Porrim perked up; it was titled, “A Study on the Evolution of Jade Blooded Culture During the Reign of Her Imperial Benevolence.” Oh, Aranea and her belief that she could find everything she ever needed in print... It was such a cute and ridiculous effort on her part that Porrim giggled lightly before saying to herself, “Ary, you really are the cutest dear at times, even when you're a huge brat.”  
  
Rapping her fingers against the desk, she pondered whether or not she should take a look at the book's contents. It was an adorable attempt and it could just stay that way, but a part of her wanted to know just what silly things they had to say about her caste. What nonsense was Aranea “learning” about Porrim? Curiosity won out in the end, and she opened the book to where Aranea had left off. She seemed to have neatly stopped after a section. At the least, Porrim couldn't see someone so finicky as her matesprit just leaving off in the middle of a paragraph or similar.  
  
The next section that she would get to was themed on the rebellious protests various jade bloods had made in the past parts of the Empress's rule. Events that Porrim had never been permitted to know even happened lay before her now, being labeled “misguided” and “confused”. Still she read on, pushed forward by a need to know this history she had never even known of. Books had been written, treatises made to the Empress, and a sizable move to loosen the restrictive nature of jade duties. All were deemed foolish and doomed to rightful failure. They just didn't know enough. The author had, though, as had the highbloods that worked to silence these women.  
  
What had she even expected, anyway? Porrim thought on that as she pushed the book away grumpily. She knew what bullshit had been fed to Aranea all her life, like that stupid poster. How could it have been anything other than what it was? How could it not be kept from the lower castes, while the higher got it for free? Her bad mood was her own damned fault, and she was being unfair to Aranea. Porrim could be useful instead and teach Aranea about her life herself. They could talk all this over. Aranea was a good troll in the end, if stubborn. Porrim clung to that fact as she stood up. A good troll is what Aranea was, and one that Porrim had made so nervous that she skittered away to find a book that likely wasn't even important. It had been long enough. Porrim would find Aranea herself, putting all this aside till later.  
  
\---  
  
The effort took longer than she had expected, but then, she should have known better. Aranea's hive was immense. Still, after much aimless wandering, she ran across Aranea in the halls by happenstance; Aranea had finally been urged from her hiding place to go and find Porrim, it seemed. She smiled nervously, holding a book tightly to her chest. “It seems to have taken far longer to find this dratted thing than I had first surmised it would, sorry. Now though, it's certainly in my grasp and, as such, we can continue with our studies soon!” she rambled out. She was already blushing and jumpy again. It was cute, sure, but mostly worrying. Aranea just needed so badly to calm down and by god, Porrim was going to assist in that, a bit pale of her or not. Especially since Aranea pursed her lips, preparing to bring up something she felt from Porrim. It had become so obviously when she was going to start.  
  
Seeing the oncoming storm of discomfort for them both, Porrim grinned widely and said, “I was beginning to worry your books ate you, darling. It's good to see my fussing wasn't on point!”  
  
“Porrim... Really, that is simply ridiculous and... Well, you see...”  
  
“You want to read this book to me, right?”  
  
That wasn’t what Aranea was going for, and she knew that. Still, she had to get her away from that for the time. It was time to take care of Aranea and, as if seeing that, Aranea nodded while saying, “Yes, of course. It's really quite the thrilling tale, quite in depth too. At any rate, we should head to the library, I suppose.”  
  
Porrim's back stiffened slightly at that, and Aranea's face twisted in concern again, nose wrinkling. Awkward talks could wait, though; they just need to let things lie for a bit and calm down. Grinning, Porrim said, “What about one of your nice sitting rooms? It certainly won't be as dusty as some musty old library.”  
  
“My library is hardly musty! Honestly, you just lack a proper appreciation for such things, making such comments.”  
  
“And I'm sure you can intimately acquaint me with your books over time. So let's start with this one in a sitting room. Wriggler stretches, dear. We'll get me to be a librarian yet. Why, I'm sure you can even get me into a sassy little outfit, too.”  
  
Aranea's face went blue at that, likely from the images she had picked up from Porrim's mind. “Yes! Of course we can. At any rate, let's stop wasting time on such frivolities and read already!”  
  
“Sure thing, hun,” Porrim said while Aranea scurried off ahead of her.  
  
\---  
  
Half an hour later, they were seated on a couch Porrim thought a bit gaudy. Aranea had just finished the editor's foreword and moved to speak on it. “Now, as can be plainly seen, this is a rather painstakingly compiled work, translated from a work produced by an ancient trollish civilization we know very little of. A shame, especially given how unique the descriptions of these people are. They lacked horns and a number of features we would evolve to have over the sweeps, it seems. One can only wonder what they must have been like!” Aranea forced out in a single breath. Her insistence on getting all she needed said out in one burst was adorable, and Porrim giggled at it. “Porrim, please!” Aranea protested shrilly.  
  
“I'm sorry, Ary, really, I am. Do go on,” she said while resting a tentative hand on Aranea's shoulder to calm her. She tensed slightly, and Porrim removed her hand worried. The gesture was met by Aranea leaning against her, sighing heavily.  
  
They sat like this in silence for a moment's time, Porrim letting Aranea acclimate, and Aranea surely scheming. Scheming so she could ask, “Porrim, are you certain you have nothing you wish to share?”  
  
Aranea sounded more paranoid than anything. Porrim sighed and wrapped an arm around her, pushing her ever so slightly nearer. “I kind of do, but it can wait for a bit, alright? We're still not through with story time, after all! How can I sleep not knowing about who this Friglish person is?”  
  
“You're sure about this, Porrim?”  
  
Rubbing Aranea's shoulder Porrim said, “Yes, I'm sure, so don't worry, okay? Regardless of what it is, I still think you're lovely, and I still like story time. Who else is going to read me books about wizards? Cronus?”  
  
Aranea huffed, “Please don't remind me of his supposed 'respect' for the wizardly sort. Honestly, he is just clinging to it insincerely as a result of his crippling social anxiety and lack of self esteem.”  
  
“Which is why I need you to tell me about these fellows and their fondness for fiddling with their wands!” Porrim said before kissing Aranea lightly on the forehead. She huffed again, flustered by the innuendos she was growing skilled at catching. Porrim rested her cheek against her matesprit and added, “Really though, I'm serious when I say I love you, you dork. I can't even lie about Horuss' terrible taste in fashion when I know honesty will just get me yelled at for an hour. How am I going to lie to a mind reader?”  
  
“That was your fault in part, though...” Aranea mumbled before burying her face into Porrim's side. One of her hands rested on Porrim's thigh, clinging awkwardly at her dress. She was trying to curl up and hide away from what was seemingly an overwhelming rush of feeling for her. It certainly seemed to be, to Porrim, anyway, and one day it would simply be natural and comfortable for her. A routine thing she knew well and cherished. They would get there, just as they would get to talking about Aranea's questionable beliefs. They would certainly try, at least, because she honestly did adore her, problems with her or no.  
  
“Do you believe me now?”  
  
“Well, yes, but I think that perhaps we're distracting from the reading, Porrim...”  
  
“My thoughts exactly, dear.”  
  
You'll get there. You're sure of it.


End file.
